The Board of Selectmen shall consist of a First Selectman and
four other Selectmen. At the regular Town election next following
the effective date of this Charter, the First Selectman and two members
of the Board of Selectmen shall be elected for a term of four years,
and the two other members of the Board of Selectmen shall be elected
for a term of two years. The term of office for the First Selectman
and all other members of the Board of Selectmen elected at all subsequent
regular Town elections shall be four years. At all subsequent regular
Town elections a political party may nominate and an elector may vote
for the same number of candidates for the First Selectman and the
Board of Selectmen as there are members to be elected to the Board
at any election. The votes cast for an unsuccessful candidate for
First Selectman shall be counted as votes for that person as a Selectman
for a four-year term. Not more than three members, excluding the First
Selectman, shall be of the same political party. For the purpose of
determining minority representation, the total membership of the Board
of Selectmen shall not include the First Selectman. The Board of Selectmen
shall elect from among its own members a Deputy First Selectman who
shall serve as Acting First Selectman during the absence of the First
Selectman. No Selectman may hold any other Town office or be an employee
or contract employee of the Town, except that a Selectman may be an
employee of the Town's Board of Education. For the purpose of this
section, the term "Town office" shall not include membership on temporary
or advisory agencies.

The Board of Selectmen shall hold at least one regularly scheduled
meeting per month. Special meetings of the Board of Selectmen may
be called at any time by the First Selectmen or by any two Selectmen.
The presence of three Selectmen shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business at any regularly scheduled meeting or special
meeting of the Board of Selectmen, except as otherwise herein provided.
A majority of the votes cast at a meeting of the Board of Selectmen,
at which a quorum is present at the time of the vote, shall constitute
the act of the Board of Selectmen, unless a greater vote is required
by this Charter or by any ordinance adopted by the Town or by a General
Statute or by a special act that is applicable to the Town. At each
regularly scheduled meeting and special meeting of the Board of Selectmen
there shall be set aside a specified time period for public participation
during which members of the public may address the Board of Selectmen.
The Board of Selectmen shall have an appointed Clerk.

Responsibility and policy. The Board of Selectmen shall have all
of the powers, duties, and responsibilities conferred upon the Board
of Selectmen (i) by this Charter and all of the powers proper, incidental,
or convenient to the exercise of such powers; (ii) by any General
Statute or any special act that is applicable to the Town; and (iii)
by any resolution or ordinance relating to matters within the scope
of authority of the Board of Selectmen that is adopted by the Town.
The Board of Selectmen shall be responsible for having the Chief Administrative
Officer carry out all acts and policies of the Board of Selectmen
and all resolutions and ordinances that are adopted by the Town.

The Board of Selectmen shall set policy and shall, directly
or by granting authority to the Chief Administrative Officer, authorize
action on all matters concerning the administration of the Town, except
for those matters for which the Town's Board of Education in
accordance with the General Statutes is responsible. The Board of
Selectmen shall not have policy-making powers relating to land use
boards and commissions and shall not have policy-making powers relating
to other agencies and officials which are inconsistent with the powers
granted to such other agencies and officials by the General Statutes.
The Board of Selectmen shall set policy and authorize action on all
matters concerning special revenue funds for recreation and emergency
medical services and other such funds that may be from time to time
established by the Town.

The Board of Selectmen shall be empowered to function as the
Town's legislative body as described in § 2.03 of this
Charter.

Review of administrative needs. The Board of Selectmen shall conduct
an ongoing review of the current and projected administrative, governmental
and fiscal needs of the Town. A summary of this review by the Board
of Selectmen shall be published in the Annual Report presented each
year to the Annual Town Meeting, as described in § 7.03
of this Charter.

Proposed budget. The Board of Selectmen shall review a preliminary
annual budget presented by the Chief Administrative Officer. It shall
be the responsibility of the Board of Selectmen to make adjustments
to the proposed budget for departments and agencies under the Board
of Selectmen's jurisdiction which are set forth in such preliminary
annual budget and forward to the Board of Finance a final recommended
Board of Selectmen budget, including estimated income. This recommended
Board of Selectmen budget shall be submitted to the Board of Finance
on or before the second Monday in March.

Redistribution or transfer of unexpended balances. The Board of Selectmen
may, upon request from the Chief Administrative Officer, redistribute
or transfer, at any time in any fiscal year, within or between departments
and agencies, unexpended balances in excess of $5,000 upon majority
vote of the Board of Selectmen.

Employment of Chief Administrative Officer. The Board of Selectmen
shall hire and may discharge a Chief Administrative Officer. A minimum
of four votes of the Board of Selectmen is required either to hire
or discharge a Chief Administrative Officer. The Chief Administrative
Officer shall be responsible to the Board of Selectmen for all of
his or her actions and shall report to and keep the Board of Selectmen
informed on a timely basis regarding all of the duties that are assigned
to the Chief Administrative Officer by the Board of Selectmen. The
Board of Selectmen shall establish the annual salary of the Chief
Administrative Officer.

Acceptance of public roads and improvements. The Board of Selectmen,
upon the affirmative vote of three Selectmen, may accept any public
improvement or public road or open space or similar real estate interest
as provided in the Plan of Conservation and Development, local land
use regulations, or General Statutes as may be approved or recommended
by the Town's Planning Commission or Zoning Commission.[1]

Acceptance of gifts on behalf of the Town. The Board of Selectmen
may accept gifts on behalf of the Town upon the affirmative vote of
three Selectmen. Any gift not accepted by vote of the Board of Selectmen
may be accepted by Town Meeting that includes the acceptance of such
a gift on the call of the Town Meeting. The Town's Board of Education,
upon affirmative vote of five members of the Town's Board of
Education, may accept gifts on behalf of the Town relating to matters
that in accordance with the General Statutes are under the jurisdiction
of the Town's Board of Education.

Disposition of Town property. The Board of Selectmen and the Town's
Board of Education, respectively, are empowered by this Charter to
dispose of Town property under the jurisdiction of the Board of Selectmen
and the Town's Board of Education, respectively, having a fair
market value of up to $25,000; disposition of property having a fair
market value of more than $25,000, but not exceeding $50,000, shall
require the approval of the Board of Finance. A disposition of Town
property having a fair market value which exceeds $50,000 shall require
the approval of a Town Meeting. Such dispositions shall be accomplished
consistent with the regulations that have been established for this
purpose by the Board of Finance, and the proceeds of any such disposition
shall be deposited into the Town's general fund.

Filling of unexpired terms on appointive agencies. The Board of Selectmen
shall appoint electors of the Town to fill unexpired terms for all
vacancies that may exist on all appointive agencies for which the
Board of Selectmen is the appointing authority.

Appointee attendance requirements. The Board of Selectmen may remove
any member or alternate member of any agency appointed by the Board
of Selectmen should such appointee miss three consecutive regularly
scheduled meetings of such agency or more than 40% of the regular
and special meetings of such agency to which such appointee has been
appointed during the most recent twelve-month period.

Appointee removal for cause. The Board of Selectmen may, upon the
vote of four Selectmen, remove for cause any member or alternate member
of any agency appointed by the Board of Selectmen, provided that such
member or alternate is notified in writing of such removal and the
grounds for such removal and is given an opportunity for a hearing
("hearing") before the Board of Selectmen. At such a hearing, such
member or alternate shall be reinstated to the appointed position
unless four Selectmen vote in favor of such removal. If such member
or alternate desires such a hearing, such member or alternate shall
so notify the Board of Selectmen in writing within seven days after
receipt of the notice from the Board of Selectmen of such member's
or such alternate's removal and the grounds thereof. Such hearing
shall be public only if requested by such member or alternate. Such
hearing shall be held not less than seven days or more than 30 days
after receipt of the notice for a requested hearing. The decision
of the Board of Selectmen shall be rendered in writing within seven
days of the hearing and notice of such decision shall be mailed to
the member or alternate forthwith. Such decision by the Board of Selectmen
shall be final. From the initial date of the Board of Selectmen's
notification of removal, such member or alternate shall be ineligible
to perform any official duties pertaining to the appointed position
unless such member or such alternate has been reinstated as provided
for above.

Filling of vacancies of elective officials and on elective agencies.
The Board of Selectmen shall fill all vacancies of elective officials
until the next Town election except those vacancies occurring on multi-member
elective agencies. Vacancies on a multi-member elective agency shall
be filled by the remaining members of that agency until the next Town
election. If a vacancy exists for more than 45 days, the Board of
Selectmen shall be empowered to fill the vacancy until the next Town
election. The replacement member shall be of the same political party
as the vacating member or shall be an unaffiliated voter. Nothing
contained herein, however, shall preclude a special election from
being held in accordance with the provisions of the General Statutes
to fill a vacancy in an elective office or to fill a vacancy on an
elected agency in lieu of the procedures set forth above for filling
such vacancies.

Appointment of temporary advisory or study committee. The Board of
Selectmen may establish temporary advisory or study committees for
a period not to exceed 24 months to make recommendations to the Board
of Selectmen. The term of any such temporary advisory or study committee
may be extended for no more than two six-month periods without Town
Meeting approval.

There shall be a Police Department which shall be subject to
policies established by the Board of Selectmen. The Chief Administrative
Officer shall be responsible for the administration of the Police
Department and appoint and promote members of the Police Department
after consultation with the Chief of Police in accordance with policies
established by the Board of Selectmen. The Board of Selectmen, after
consultation with the Chief Administrative Officer, shall appoint
the Chief of Police. The Chief of Police may be discharged by the
Board of Selectmen only in accordance with the procedures applicable
to such discharge which are set forth in the General Statutes.